The US is poised to claim victory in a World Trade Organisation auto industry case against China, a person close to the dispute said, amid rising trade tensions between the countries over allegations of Chinese hacking on US companies and renewed friction on the strength of the renminbi.
Michael Froman, US trade representative, will be flanked by Debbie Stabenow and Sandy Levin, two senior Democratic members of Congress from Michigan with close ties to US carmakers, on Friday morning when he reveals what the Obama administration is dubbing a “major enforcement announcement” regarding China and the WTO.
US President Barack Obama launched two separate car-related cases against China at the WTO in 2012 during the heat of his re-election campaign, with high-profile events in Ohio designed to help him win crucial votes in the manufacturing-heavy swing state.